The present invention concerns adjustable armrests for chairs that can be adjusted in multiple directions and orientations relative to a seated user for increased comfort and ergonomics.
Adjustable armrests allow users to comfortably support their forearms while working, despite the differences in their sizes, shapes, and preferences. This can be particularly important for computer operators and for people having desk jobs, where the person may stay seated for long periods of time, and where different users use the same chair. It is also important for users that are physically large or heavy, or that are physically small or light in weight, to be able to adjust the armrest to a lateral position that is both comfortably close to them, but far enough out of the way to not restrict their body movements in the chair. The amount of adjustment must be relatively large in order to accommodate as many users as possible. However, a large range of adjustment often causes present armrest adjustment mechanisms to become sloppy at their outermost extended positions, and/or reduces their durability because of the increased torsional forces that they encounter.
Sometimes, in an effort to make highly-adjustable armrests more secure, complicated latching and securing mechanisms are added. However, such parts are expensive, often complex, and are not easy to operate. Further, sometimes it is not intuitively obvious how latches and triggers operate, such that users new to the chair must undesirably spend time figuring out how to operate the armrest in order to adjust it. Also, multi-part mechanisms can lead to quality problems during manufacture and warranty problems in service.
To summarize, modern users demand armrests that are simple and easy to operate, that are intuitively obvious to adjust, and that have a good, solid feel during adjustment. At the same time, customers want long life and low cost. Accordingly, an armrest construction solving the aforementioned problems and having the aforementioned advantages is desired.